A Wedding in Provence by Ellen Sussman: Book Review

A Wedding in Provence was quite a surprise. I actually picked up this book thinking it would be a typical bride story with fashion disasters or wedding jitters, but the book turned out to be much more poignant and thought provoking.

Olivia and Brody are trying to find an inn in Cassis in the South of France. As the story progresses we learn that the inn belongs to Olivia’s BFF Emily and that Olivia is in her fifties. Brody is a widower and rancher from Montana (or is it Wyoming?) and has been living with Olivia in San Francisco. Olivia has two girls, Carly and Nell, who are expected to attend the intimate wedding.

The inn has an idyllic setting surrounded by vibrant gardens and vineyards. But all is not well with Emily and her husband Sebastien and this casts a pallor on the festive mood. Carly is a genius and workaholic and is expected to come with her boyfriend. Not to be outdone, the wild immature older Nell picks up a guy on the plane. Carly is ditched by her boyfriend at the last minute and turns up alone.

Olivia is worried about her girls while Brody feels she should focus on the wedding. Brody’s 75 year old mother is in attendance, but she is still mourning a husband who deserted her after 55 years. The girls fight with each other and try to outdo each other.

Meanwhile, there are plentiful bottles of champagne and wine flowing. There is scrumptious Provencal food cooked by an Italian chef. There is a pool that is frequented by one and all, and by someone in the moonlight.

The wedding riles up a lot of dormant emotions in everyone. It is a time where not only the bride but the guests too introspect and realize some past errors. And all is well that ends in a shower of rice.

A Wedding in Provence will start slow but is sure to steal its way into your heart. I wholeheartedly recommend it to anyone who likes a good story. One that has just enough drama and surprises to not make it a drag!